Buying a used car in the UAE: Mulkiya, RTA, GCC spec or import

The Mulkiya: the car’s registration card

The Mulkiya is the vehicle registration card. In Dubai it is issued by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in the other emirates by the local traffic authority. It shows the plate, the chassis number (the VIN), the engine number, the make, the model, the year, the colour, the registered owner, the insurance and the date the registration expires. In many emirates it also exists as a digital card in the official apps.

Ask the seller for a photo of it in advance. At the viewing, the VIN on the car (under the windshield and on the door pillar) must match the Mulkiya, the owner on it must be the seller, or the seller must show a valid power of attorney, and the details must match the car in front of you.

Fines, blocks and bank loans

• Fines and blocks: ask the seller to show, in the RTA or Dubai Police app (or on the police site of the emirate), that the car has no unpaid fines and no blocks. Unpaid fines must be cleared before the transfer can go through.
• Bank loan: a car that is still financed by a bank has a lien recorded on it, which you can look for on the Mulkiya. The transfer needs the loan settled and a release from the bank, usually a clearance or no-objection letter. Ask how the seller will do it, and pay in a way that closes the loan.
• Owner: if someone other than the registered owner is selling, ask for a valid power of attorney and think twice. It is better to meet the owner.

GCC spec or import

GCC-spec cars were built for the Gulf market. They are usually adapted to heat and dust: stronger cooling and air conditioning, better air filtering and a speedometer in km/h. Imported cars, mostly from the US, Canada, Japan and Europe, are often cheaper, but many were built for milder climates, and some were sold at auction after an accident or a flood and rebuilt. Many buyers prefer GCC-spec cars, and resale prices reflect it.

• Find out which it is from the compliance sticker, the documents and the car itself: a car built for another market can have a speedometer in miles or different lights. For an import, ask for the customs papers.
• For an import, get the VIN history from its country of origin before you pay.
• Look harder at the panel gaps, the paint and the structure of an import: see How to check a car’s paint and accident damage.
• Test the air conditioning and the cooling of an import with extra care.

What heat, sand and floods do to a car

• Air conditioning: cold within 2–3 minutes and still cold under load and in traffic.
• Battery: heat shortens its life. Ask how old it is and watch how the engine cranks.
• Tyres: heat ages them faster. Read the DOT date on all the tyres and the spare: How to read a tyre DOT code.
• Rubber and plastic: cracked hoses and seals, a cracked dashboard, clear coat peeling on the roof and the bonnet.
• Cooling: the coolant level, a radiator clogged with dust, the fan, and a temperature gauge that stays steady after the drive.
• Dust and sand: a dirty air filter and sand in the crevices of the engine bay.
• Floods: after the heavy rain of April 2024 and other floods, cars that stood in water can turn up for sale. See How to tell if a car has been in a flood.

Inspect, then drive

Do the whole inspection: papers and VIN, the body in daylight, the interior, the engine from cold and then the test drive. Start with How to check a used car before you buy it, Cold start: what to listen for and look at and the used car test drive checklist. Ask to see the car in the morning, before the heat: the engine is cold, and later you can test the air conditioning and the cooling in the midday sun.

Paying and transferring the ownership

• The transfer is completed at the RTA in Dubai, or with the traffic authority (police) of the other emirates, in their centres or apps. The requirements change, so check the current ones on the authority’s website.
• The buyer and the seller are normally both needed. The buyer needs valid insurance for the car in their own name before the transfer, and a car of a certain age needs a valid technical test.
• Do not hand over the money before the transfer. Pay at the transfer, or by a method that can be traced, such as a bank transfer.
• Get the new Mulkiya in your name and the seller’s release of any lien, and keep the sale documents. The registration is renewed every year, and renewal needs valid insurance and, for most cars, a passed technical test.